My apologies, Michigan. I didn't re-read the whole thread I linked.
Chris, not so. Just that it seems some topics com up quite often and sometimes, having all the discussion in one place is better than people repeating themselves five times over.
My apologies, Michigan. I didn't re-read the whole thread I linked.
Chris, not so. Just that it seems some topics com up quite often and sometimes, having all the discussion in one place is better than people repeating themselves five times over.
I know, I'm just giving you crap. Most times it is very helpful!Originally Posted by Rob B
I didn't much care for the book either...I finished book 1 and have no plans to continue with the series. My reasons are pretty much summed by others here: clumsy writing, cardboard characters, poor dialogue etc. Not worth the time or money imo.
I'm not reading the other responses yet to give you a gut-reaction reply:
It's a good yarn. A new magic system is always fun for me, and the simplicity reminds me of some golden-age fantasy (Zelazny for example). Not polished, could use improvement in a lot of ways, but the flaws don't bog down the pace and I liked it.
I liked the sequel less. But I'll continue to read the series.
Well, mostly I just wanted to give you a hard time because I agree with Chris and don't like always being steered towards three year old threads that scare off readers and discussion. In fact this thread seems to have a very different tone then the other one which seemed mostly full of praise. So things are not necessarily just being repeated. The spoiler wasn't that big of a deal.
It is a fine line I tow (since I'm the main person who does all the relinking), but yeah, this thread does have a somewhat different tone.
As to an answer to your original question, I think algernoninc summed up my thoughts fairly well when he :
I'll go a bit further though - I see these books as being an amped up version of Brooks's Shannara. As if Brooks broke out of his box a little bit (ok maybe more than a little bit) and made the world more harsh, the characters a bit more harsh and overall, more ambiguous. I like some of the ideas behind what Brooks does in Shannara, but the execution always left me wanting more. For my reading time, Brett answered those wants very well.It is indeed full of cliches and predictable in plot twists, but I found it entertaining and well paced. I would say it is a good beach novel, so if you don't expect it revolutionize the genre or rock you off your feet, it is worth trying as an adventure romp.
Ok, i'm getting near the end and have decided that this is just plain amateur writing. I would say it was YA if it wasn't for the sex. I'd put the writing on a level with Goodkind, without the self-righteous preaching. Characters are horribly written, dialogue is terrible, and much like Goodkind the pacing is good but that's about it.
I actually did read it on a beach, and while I agree that it is far from groundbreaking and doesn't appear to live up to all the hype that it seems to have it was enjoyable enough for me to purchase the second book.
I would reccomend sticking with it, as I found I got into it more as it went on.
I bought the book based on recommendations on this board. I keep putting it down to read something else because I just can't get into it. Glad to know I'm not the only one.
Man I guess I'm just a simpleton lol because I loved this book read 300 pages in 1 day can't remember last time I did that probably game of thrones!
Just a good fast read although I hate the fact that the next book picks up with different character I'll check it out though
Warded Man/Painted Man reads like hot knife slices through butter. 'nuff said
Too bad the same can't be said about it's sequel...Warded Man/Painted Man reads like hot knife slices through butter. 'nuff said
Haven't read it (yet), due to majority of opinions that seem to be aligned with yours :/
Just read it. I sort of agree with the beach read comments since the action and pacing are pretty much there. There is no real background fat/bloat here (such as the famous turtles from A Dance with Dragons). I actually enjoyed the book because I'm pretty easy -- give me some action, pace, and a hero that gets to kick some butt and I'm generally OK.
However, I also agree that there are some heavy duty flaws.
[Mild Spoiler Alert]
The plot, magic system and even cultures are just too simplistic. Plus, 2 of the 3 characters seems pretty pointless, or worse (i.e., if your only job is to be pretty and be an object for abuse and romance, for god sakes you dont need a *lengthy* POV in a fantasy). And a pied piper character? Seriously?
I did like Arlen's POV, but really, how many times can a character walk away from his existing life in the same book? Arlen does so 3 times, with time jumps instead of real or credible explanations after the last two.
I was all set to buy book 2 anyway, but the combination of mixed feelings on book 1 and dodgy reviews on book 2 really soured it for me. May as well at least wait till 3 comes out and see how folks like that.
The book was fast-paced and fairly entertaining (if you don't expect much) so I wouldn't call it a total waste of time. However, due to the lack of interesting characters or ideas it was ultimately forgettable. And on top of that, there was a controversy about a certain event towards the book that just wasn't handled realistically at all (you could tell the author is a man).
Brett and Weeks are two authors whose popularity I still can't understand.
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